Benefits of Pears for Diabetes

Last Updated: Dec 18, 2013 |
By Laura Niedziocha

Two bowls of fresh pears on a table.Photo Credit Kathleen C Petersen/iStock/Getty Images

Diabetes increases your risk for developing many other chronic diseases, including heart disease. Your chances worsen if your blood glucose is not in control. Everything you eat contributes to your blood glucose, so choose your foods carefully. Fruit, especially the high-fiber pear, is a good food for diabetics to eat.

Healthy Snack Option

Pears offer a person with diabetes a very healthy snack. They are low in carbohydrates and calories. One medium-size pear contains just 100 calories and only 26 grams of carbohydrates. The key to picking a good snack for diabetics is both calorie and carb control, and pears offer both.

Vitamins and Minerals

The best way to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs is to eat them through food. Pears offer a vast assortment of vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy, which is important for anyone, but especially diabetics. Pears contain the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium, and the vitamins C, E, K, folate, beta-carotene, lutein, choline and retinol.

Fiber

Pears, especially with the skin left on, are considered a high fiber food. One medium pear contains 5 g of fiber. Fiber is a very important part of a healthy diet for a diabetic. Dietary fiber helps reduce cholesterol and control body weight and blood sugar. A meal or snack with fiber slows the absorption of carbs into the bloodstream. This makes for a more sustained and slower rise in blood glucose over a longer period of time, reducing the chance of a spike in blood glucose.

Satisfy Your Sweet Craving

A craving for a sweet food can set a diabetic up for poor blood glucose control. Pears are a sweet treat that can help calm your sweet tooth without sacrificing control over your disease. Eat a pear for dessert or as a sweet snack. You can even combine pear slices with some sugar-free, fat-free whipped cream for a satisfying and healthy dessert.

Read These

Laura Niedziocha began her writing career in 2007. She has contributed material to the Stoneking Physical Therapy and Wellness Center in Lambertville, N.J., and her work has appeared in various online publications. Niedziocha graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Science in exercise science. She also has her Associate of Arts in communications from the Community College of Philadelphia.